She

I never knew peace till I laid with her,

Smoothed her hair and tucked it behind her ear,

Unveiling her cheek to receive my kiss

As we lay in afternoon stillness.

•

The vile things are gone, or don’t matter,

I don’t know.

They don’t bother me in these moments,

Moments where I am present, and alive.

•

No sailor adrift spying land,

No parched desert wanderer stumbling upon the oasis,

No lost lamb reunited with her mother

Knows relief like this.

•

A balm like no other

A salve for an unseen wound

The carer and the cure in one

And the words won’t come.

I want to tell her this moment is perfect,

That I will use my strength to protect her,

To defend her from any and all,

That I would die for her, or live for her.

•

The words tumble from my brain,

But my thick tongue trips and my voice cracks

So I turn, and look into her eyes,

And she knows.

•

She knows she is my mate, my friend, my world.

She knows what she gives me, and knows that I know.

She knows everything that matters,

And shows it with a smile.

•

With her by my side, I shall fear no ill,

Though I walk that valley.

She armours me against the slings and arrows

So that I barely feel them.

•

She is the roaring fire after a long walk in the rain.

She is the bliss of cessation of pain.

She is my defender against the slurs.

She is my comfort, and I am hers.